Kevin De Bruyne's agent has chosen not to follow the Belgian to Madrid amid fears his presence could spark more transfer rumours.
Manchester City take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tonight in a heavyweight European clash that will see Pep Guardiola face off with Zinedine Zidane for the first time.
The game comes hours after City lodged their appeal with CAS as they look to overturn UEFA's recent sanctions that has seen them banned from the Champions League for two years.
Should their appeal fail the Premier League giants could face a mass exodus of several star players, one of whom is De Bruyne.
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And as he looks to avoid adding fuel to the fire Patrick De Koster, De Bruyne's agent, has opted to remain at home.
As reported by journalist Kristof Terreur , De Koster told MidMid podcast : “l’m not going to Madrid. I don’t want to cause controversy.
"If they spot me there, they’ll say, 'he’s in Madrid to negotiate a move'. Let’s rule it out. I have a big TV at home. No controversy.”
De Bruyne is 29 and could be 31by the time City return to Europe's top table if he sticks around at the Etihad.
Another player linked with a Manchester exit is Raheem Sterling who sparked rumours this week when he was pictured with a Los Blancos shirt.
Speaking in an exclusive interview to AS Sterling said: "No one knows what the future will hold.
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"I am a player and I am always open to challenges but right now my challenge is at City and I'm really happy. I have a contract with City now and I have to respect this.
" Real Madrid are a fantastic club. When you see the white shirt you know exactly what the club stands for, it's massive."
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